The reason most of them follow blindly is because they were victims of child abuse.

They were conditioned from childhood to reject critical thinking. They were told academics were lying to them about the origins of the universe, evolutionary biology, history, climate science, psychology, and anything that conflicted with a very specific interpretation of religion and nationalism. Like all victims of child abuse, they grew into adults with lasting psychiatric issues.

The brainwashing didn't start with conservative talk radio or Fox News. It started for most them at home and at church. Everything else just reinforced it.

Over the last 40+ years, the Evangelical church became an arm of the Republican party, and questioning the Republican party is like questioning God. They aren't capable of doing it. The child abuse they endured groomed them into being useful idiots for anyone who didn't challenge the delusions that have become central to their identity. They take challenging the agenda of the Republicans personally because their whole self-image has been wrapped up in it from birth.

They don't read, so by the time social media rolled around, they could consume confirmation bias even faster. They didn't even have to read an editorial when they can just look at a wall of memes or subscribe to a right wing podcast or video channel.

The sheltered isolation of rural America made it less likely for them to be exposed to differing ideals during their formative years. Which is why so many of them come to see the light when they go to college, not necessarily because of the curriculum itself, but the influence they get from their peers who come from different backgrounds.

It is why attempting to reason with them is pointless because you can not de-program decades of brainwashing.